Funny thing I was at my LBS the other day and asked if they would be getting any in. I got a quick NO. I can believe the LBS seems to only believe in XC bikes costing less than $1k. I will have to wait for the demo at Atlanta in Feb.

Here's my Stache 8. I love it! For the price it's spec'd great. The rear wheel is prettty heavy so I will upgrade down the line. Mine weighs 26.5 pounds with pedals in a 19.5 inch. really stiff rear end and stays. The routing for the internal reverb dropper is slick though I haven't installed it yet. I would have loved a fit damped fork but for the price the evolution is ok. Handling is typical Trek 29er which is the best out there! The G2 geometry is superior to other 29ers I have ridden or currently own. Seems like it'll last forever. this one's a keeper.
Dealers that didn't pre order these won't get them any time soon. my shop has 15, 17 and 19 in stock in the Stache 8 and Stache 7.
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One more.
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About me: my first really good mountain bike was a gary fisher tassajara hardtail with 140mm fork and full xtr. So I am smitten with a more burly type of hardtail. Also, I really like trek in general. The bikes literally feel like they are alive. They're so responsive. Anywho, I have owned and tested a fair amount of 29rs. Other than a rigid ss sir9 (which is a very different type of ride), I didn't like any of them a whole lot. I saw the potential, but they always had something I didn't like. None were quite there yet. Too heavy, to slow in the corners, doesn't like catching air, doesn't like being flicked etc....

I'm not aware of, are atleast haven't tested 29 hardtail that wasn't a small travel/carbon race machine.
So when I saw the stache in the works I was really excited. If anyone could nail a trail 29 hardtail, I was sure trek could.

And wow, they did not disappoint.

The bike: It was amazing. It was set up with xt brakes and slx shifters. My favorite. It had the 130mm fox fork (forget which one) so you can tackle more gnar without sacrificing a whole lot. But you all know that. The details were amazing. The paint was just a clear coat (with green highlights) so you could see where they had buffed the metal underneath. It was a work of art. Even down to the green raceface cranks. Beautiful.

The ride: Amazing, of course. The first thing I noticed was the cornering ability. It only had 2.2 tires (didn't catch what they were) but it held a sharp corner with abandon. It was just begging to be turned and twisted and played with. As soon as you tilted it, it was like a dog let off the leash. The bike literally felt happy (or maybe that was just me). It felt more confident in a sharp turn than any 2.4 gnarly tire that I've ever tried. Maybe it was the geometry. It was alive in the corners. I've never felt anything like it. I never knew I had been missing so much in the corners.

One thing I've never liked about 29rs is how they like to stay on the ground. I can't bunny hop them. Not the stache. I got more air on it that even the lightest 26 wheeled bike. Amazing.

Maybe it was because my legs were dead, but it felt kind of slow in a straight line. Not sure if that was me, the gear ratio i was in, or the bike. It was certainly light enough though so that shouldn't have been the reason.

I was too tired to climb, so I wasn't able to take it down or up a hill, but I talked to my buddy and he said it felt "like butter" downhill, and hammered uphill. I believe it.

In the end, trek made a 29r that doesn't have the traditional 29 problems: sluggish, sits on the ground, weird in the corners. It not only got rid of the problems, but it blew past what you would expect. It was amazing to ride. Light, cornered like crazy, was really fun to flick around, and put a smile on my face Sure, you could tell it was a 29r, but it didn't have any problems at all. I would say it's the most fun 29r ever made, or atleast that I've tried.

Dead on. I'll ride trek till the day I die. And of course, you should too.
Buy this bike.

It increases the tension on the chain vs. a standard mech (supposedly). According to the blurb I saw on a retailer site, it's designed to stay in the "on" position in most cases. If you would like to reduce the tension on the chain (such as when you're removing a wheel), flick it "off".

Lets get a thread going like the Fuel EX has. The stache should be getting in the hands of the riders here anytime. Lets see them....list the upgrades, tips, and ride reports.

First shake down ride yesterday on some pretty easy trails. I rode this bike twice at Trek World in August and couldn't get enough of it. It was a very tough wait. Our trails in FL are super tight and twisty with almost no straight lines. The Stache handles very quickly in the tight stuff and just eats up bumps.

Here's my Stache 8. I love it! For the price it's spec'd great. The rear wheel is prettty heavy so I will upgrade down the line. Mine weighs 26.5 pounds with pedals in a 19.5 inch. really stiff rear end and stays. The routing for the internal reverb dropper is slick though I haven't installed it yet. I would have loved a fit damped fork but for the price the evolution is ok. Handling is typical Trek 29er which is the best out there! The G2 geometry is superior to other 29ers I have ridden or currently own. Seems like it'll last forever. this one's a keeper.
Dealers that didn't pre order these won't get them any time soon. my shop has 15, 17 and 19 in stock in the Stache 8 and Stache 7.
[IMG]<a href="http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/bvaneps/library/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u549/bvaneps/trekstache004.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"/></a>[/IMG]
One more.
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If you want a FIT or other Fox shock upgrade you can send off the fork to Fox and have it done. They used to have the prices listed. I think it is around $150

Mine is supposed to be in next week! One thing I haven't been able to find is the handlebar width. Does anyone know what is stock? I'm hoping that they realize that 580mm isn't really considered "trail" anymore...

Mine is supposed to be in next week! One thing I haven't been able to find is the handlebar width. Does anyone know what is stock? I'm hoping that they realize that 580mm isn't really considered "trail" anymore...

Just measured my 17.5 Statche bar for ya. Its 734mm end of grip straight across to opposite grip end.

Called a few local shops and found a dealer with a stache 8 instock. Too bad it is not in my size. Anyway the dealer is only 15 min from a somewhat local riding spot. I may go later in the week. Currently I am wrestling with the idea of a Cannondale F29-2, Stump jumper FSR comp 29, or the Stache 8.

Just to toss this ou there I got a deal on a green endura jersey with black and gun metal colored endura shorts this week. They would be a perfect match to the Stache 8.